net

Even since her early days with Paper Tiger Television, Shu Lea Cheang has been working to disrupt the corporate control expanding out from our suburbs to public broadcast and the web. But it seems that the effects of gentrification extend as far as our very crops, genetically modifying staple foods, with little regard for its ecological effects.

That’s why, in conjunction with Furtherfield’s Shu Lea Cheang & Mark Amerika exhibition, opening to the public on Saturday, August 31, the networking pioneer will be hosting Seeds Underground Party to raise awareness about the potential impact of the European Union’s plans to enforce strict new seed growing regulations.

Concept hackathon C.回.R is calling for participants to solve and play with big issues in the arts raised by five notable artists. As part of this year’s Visions of the Now Festival in Stockholm, Sweden, running from May 25 to 28, the Call & Response end will feature Goodiepal, Natalie Jeremijenko, Hannah Heilmann, Luke Fishbeck of Lucky Dragons and musician and doctoral candidate Holly Herndon. She released acclaimed concept piece-slash-club banger Movement on RVNG last year and collaborated with organiser Mat Dryhurst in the now-defunct <body>. Fifteen to 20 hackers are invited to E.M.S Studios to work on problems from May 24, to be presented on the afternoon of Sunday, May 26.

Considering the range of responses to last month’s Seven on Seven in New York, things are bound to get interesting. See the C.回.R website for more information.**

Originally created by Chuck Poynter and championed by net art progenitor to the likes of aqnb interviewee Jennifer Chan, Olia Lialina,REAL_DANCING_GIRL has been updated to suit the new era. Originally appearing in 1999 on the Rhizome splash page, the new look dancing girl can be found on her own tumblr where she’s joined by a male companion and a manifesto of sorts that goes as follows:

“I’ve been dancing ever since I was created back in the days. With the arise of the internet I became a vernacular symbol of freedom among the net, and a source of inspiration for countless users in the pre-history of the web. The advent of social networks brought a severe, consequently change in the aesthetic of the internet; that’s why I felt the need to renew my look, giving myself a more “topical” appearance. But don’t be fooled by this: my ‘hula’ remains the same ;-)”

It also ends with a generous “feel free – as you’ve always been – to make me dance among your web universe!”**